Produced and Directed by Mervyn LeRoy
Screenplay by Frank Butler
Cinematography by Harold Rosson
Music by Dimitri Tiomkin
CAST: Greer Garson (Dr. Julia Winslow Garth), Dana Andrews (Dr. Rourke O’Brien), Cameron Mitchell (Lt. David Garth), Lois Smith (Spurs O’Brien), Walter Hampden (Father Gabriel Mendoza), Pedro Gonzales Gonzales (Trooper Martinez Martinez), Robert J. Wilke (Karg)
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Strange Lady In Town (1955) is, well, a strange lady in town. An odd mixture of melodrama, romance, feminism and all the usual Western riding and shooting stuff, I didn’t know what to make of it at first. Watched it a second time a couple days later and decided I really did like it. Somehow it all seems to come together.
While the picture itself is certainly interesting, and we’ll get to that in a bit, the story of its production has even more melodrama. Greer Garson had left MGM for Warner Bros. At a WB dinner party she told writer Frank Butler about her love of the Santa Fe area, and Butler put together a story of 1880 Santa Fe perfectly tailored for Garson.
Warner Bros. started construction of 34 new sets around Old Tucson and got to work on casting the picture. Dana Andrews was signed, along with Cameron Mitchell and Lois Smith (in a part Natalie Wood had tried out for). Smith had just appeared in East Of Eden (1954). Shooting began in August of 1954 in Old Tucson, with snakes having to be evicted from the sets each morning and temperatures climbing into the hundreds every afternoon. Then there were some health issues.
Mervyn LeRoy (seen above with Greer Garson): “In those days, Andrews had a drinking problem… that made my life difficult… Possibly more serious was Greer Garson’s health. She isn’t the complaining sort, so when she said she felt poorly, I knew she must have felt rotten. We called the company doctor, and he got [four] doctors from the Tucson clinic for consultation. It was unanimous; she had appendicitis. The doctors agreed she really should have the appendectomy immediately. ‘No,’ Greer said, with her red-headed stubbornness. ‘I can’t do it now. There is an entire company depending on me. They’d have to shut down for a few weeks. It wouldn’t be fair to them.’ That’s what they used to call a trouper. Every night, they piled bags of ice on her abdomen. Every day, they fed her pills and the nurse was there, sticking a thermometer in her mouth between every scene.”
Back in Hollywood, Jack Warner was having a fit, as the picture went behind schedule and over budget. Finishing their Tucson work, the cast and crew headed back to California. In October, Greer Garson was rushed to the hospital for an emergency appendectomy. Production was shut down for 27 days. During that time LeRoy filled in for an ailing/bingeing John Ford on Mister Roberts (1955).
Harry Carey, Jr.: “I don’t think he had an inkling of what Mister Roberts was, but he took over. In fact, he shares directorial credit with Ford.”
When Strange Lady In Town resumed production on Stage Two at Warner Bros., LeRoy was under pressure to get it done. Scenes taking place in Boston were struck to save time and money. The picture finally wrapped, and was previewed in February 1955. It premiered in Austin, Texas, on April 12. Greer Garson hit the road for the film, something she’d never done before. It seems to have worked. Strange Lady In Town earned back its $3 million cost and turned a healthy profit.
Garson plays a doctor from Boston who, tired of being looked down on for being a woman, heads to Santa Fe in 1880 to be near her brother (Cameron Mitchell), a lieutenant in the cavalry. She quickly butts heads with the local doctor (Dana Andrews) over how to practice medicine—and about everything else. The picture packs in everything from glaucoma to bank robbery to domestic violence to Billy The Kid (Nick Adams)—and somehow it all works.
Dana Andrews, drunk or sober, is very good here. His extended fistfight with Robert J. Wilke is one of the best scenes in the film. This may be Wilke’s slimiest villain of them all, which is really saying something. Lois Smith is excellent; so is Cameron Mitchell (he never got his due). Nick Adams doesn’t have enough screen time to make much of an impression. He’d be a lot better in The Last Wagon (1956) and wonderful in Fury At Showdown (1957). Of course, this is Greer Garson’s movie, and she carries it with ease.
Warner Archive has done it again, giving us an early CinemaScope picture exactly the way it ought to be seen: widescreen with its stereo intact. Old Tucson looks terrific (even in WarnerColor) and Dimitri Tiomkin’s score is full and rich. Strange Lady In Town is an offbeat Western, for sure. Maybe it’s not for all tastes. And though it took me a while to wrap my head around it, I came away really liking it.
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Sources: A Rose For Mrs. Miniver: The Life Of Greer Garson by Michael Troyan; Take One by Mervyn LeRoy; Company Of Heroes: My Life As An Actor In The John Ford Stock Company by Harry Carey, Jr.
For some reason, this is a 1950s western that has so far eluded me. I have now read excellent reviews by both yourself, Toby, and also Laura. You certainly have me intrigued and I will try to get hold of a copy now. Looks like a film I would enjoy.
I also very much enjoyed the background detail about the filming and the difficult conditions encountered. Sounds like a bit of a nightmare for Garson but she was a true pro.
Although not an obvious actor for westerns, I am quite a fan of Dana Andrews. I love his ‘noir’ titles. Because he always seemed so urbane he was ideal for the latter but less suited to westerns. And yet… look at him in “CANYON PASSAGE” – so good. And anyway, his background was anything but urbane, having come from a fairly poor rural upbringing. A fine actor.
I have given my opinion of this film in an earlier post so i won.t
go into too much detail here except to say this film was far better than
I had expected,especially considering it’s reputation.
The background info you have given us Toby is highly interesting to
say the least.
Regarding Dana Andrews,I for one was very saddened by the junk that
he appeared in later in his career.The same goes for Ray Milland
another actor not really associated with Westerns although like Andrews
he made some very good ones.
I really wish that these two guys had called it a day before the slide down,
even more so considering their stature in the Forties/early Fifties.
I know someone who worked on THE FROZEN DEAD;the nadir of
Dana’s career. He said Dana was a lovely man,but of course by that time
was really hitting the booze…..very very sad.
Toby, I really enjoyed your take on the film as well as the interesting background. The information about Garson’s appendix was especially interesting as a few weeks ago I reviewed a film (DESIRE ME) in which she was nearly killed during production by a rogue wave (!), resulting in a serious back injury which made it difficult for her to complete the film. The lady sure suffered for her art!
I think you liked this film better than I did but although I found it uneven, parts of it were excellent and since I love both Andrews and Garson I was glad I saw it.
I appreciated Jerry’s mention of the Dana Andrews Western CANYON PASSAGE which is such a marvelous film. John, seems like I read just the other day that Dana took some of his ’60 films because he had kids in college! His drinking was of course very sad but I take comfort in knowing that he eventually overcame it and also took the then-unusual step of going public and trying to help others.
Silent Westerns rarely come up for discussion among us all — I’ve been warming to silents only very slowly — but I’d like to take the chance to highly recommend THE WINNING OF BARBARA WORTH (1926), a new Warner Archive release I just reviewed tonight. It has spectacular photography and fine performances by Ronald Colman and Gary Cooper.
Best wishes,
Laura
Laura,
Firstly let me thank you for giving me the opportunity to see HIGH FLIGHT
a rarely seen Ray Milland film and the color version too.
I just cannot understand how this excellent flying picture has not been
given a UK release as it’s a wonderful advertisement for the RAF.
Furthermore it was a huge hit in the UK.
In any case it’s another title to cross off my “most wanted” list!
I thought Milland was on commanding form in the picture and what a stellar
Brit supporting cast;the flying sequences were really well done too!
Interesting quote from Milland on imbb about why he made so many awful
films later in his career…..”for the money dear chap..the money” came the
reply.Well at least he was honest!
Glad I could help with that, John!
COMANCHE is one I’ve been wanting to catch up with. It costars Linda Cristal of THE HIGH CHAPARRAL. I just saw Henry Brandon as Jesse James in HELL’S CROSSROADS. Thanks for telling us about it, David!
Best wishes,
Laura
Comanche is up on youtube–letterboxed. Not the best viewing experience, but it’s better than nothing.
A great novelty seeing COMANCHE full width on YouTube, even if the resolution of the upload isn’t very high and the sound is a bit out of synch. The film definitely needs a proper DVD release.
I really enjoyed it, even watching it the size of a dollar bill. You’re right, it’d make a nice DVD.
One Dana Andrews Western that is long overdue for a DVD release is COMANCHE, a 1956 United Artists release in CinemaScope and Color by De Luxe. It was made entirely in Mexico, the sunlit location filming is excellent, as is the music score. Henry Brandon is also one helluva mean Indian in it!
Great review and I’ve been waiting for this movie to be on DVD and I can’t wait till I get it. Also, I don’t know if you heard but Warner is also releasing on their Archive collection, “Raton Pass” from 1951 in September.
Great news about RATON PASS. i was hoping Warner Brothers were going to release it on dvd for sometime. That great actress Patricia Neal stars as a wicked conniving, avaricious wife doing the dirty on Dennis Morgan with that Steve Cochran who always plays a villain deliciously. I cannot wait until September but will have to.
Yep! I just noticed that too and as it’s a Fifties Western that I have never
seen,I am really looking forward to it.
Directed by Edwin L Marin,best known Western-wise for the films that he
made with Randolph Scott.
Rather oddball cast (for a Western) but the main attraction for me is
Steve Cochran. Warners have given us a street date of September 16
and as they like to issue films in “sets” lets hope there are other Westerns
to be announced on that date.
The Cochran Warners Western that I am really after is THE LION AND
THE HORSE.
Never cared much for Dennis Morgan in Westerns or anything else for that
matter,a rather boorish actor IMHO……SORRY Laura… 🙂
These are good times for Steve Cochran fans apart from the above
Olive films have THE BIG OPERATOR comuing up soon.
Steve’s a good guy in this one for a change with Mickey Rooney really
chewing up the scenery as never before. Directed by Charles Haas who’s
work impresses me the more I see of it.
Another Haas/Cochran epic also promused from Olive is the truly
bizarre THE BEAT GENERATION. Steve’s a good guy in that one as well.
If a dizzy mix of beatnicks and serial killers grabs you…look no further!
As if all this was not enough Olive also have the very impressive THE
WEAPON Steve’s only Britflick and yes,yet again he plays the good
guy.
Has THE WEAPON been released then, John? Because I can’t find it on the Olive Films site.
David, I did leave a note to you regarding THE WEAPON on a previous
post as I know it’s pretty high on your “most wanted” list.
The fact is Olive Films have announced this film for a future release but
heaven only knows when it will appear.
Bearing in mind they are still releasing films from their 2012 schedule.
The good news is THE BIG OPERATOR is the first of the new batch so
hopefully things will start moving.
The main gripe with olive Films is they take forever to release titles so
we live in hope.
THE WEAPON was released in the UK by Eros Films and handled in
the USA by Republic Pictures. In the UK it played as the main feature
supported by, I believe, HOME AND AWAY a long forgotten Brit B picture.
George Cole talks about THE WEAPON in his recent autiobiography.
He said that it’s not a film he would like to be remembered for as elements
of the really nasty villian role he played seemed to disturb him.
He did however state that the film was very well made.
Just to backtrack other goodies from Olive’s new schedule include
WOMAN THEY ALMOST LYNCHED,THE QUIET GUN and STRANGER
AT MY DOOR. If their previous track record is anything to go by we might
see some of these by 2016….I should live so long!
.
Warner Archive has Raton Pass with Steve Cochran up for pre-order.